I can hear her voice over the drone of the air conditioner in the office. “There’s a family dinner tonight. Did you forget?”
“I’m in the office. I have some work to wrap up. You guys can go ahead without me.”
“I just told you it’s a family dinner.” The cheerful voice turns sharp. “Don’t make me get in my car and drive all the way to get you. Nick and Elisha are coming, and I expect you to be there.”
“I told you that I’m working.”
Ethan sounds frustrated, and his mother’s voice hardens. “You’re always working. I’ve not seen you in two weeks. Either you come here, or I’m going to bring the whole family there. You pick.”
“Mother—”
“Harold!” his mother calls out to somebody. “Tell the kids we’re going to Ethan’s new office for din?—”
“I’m coming!” Ethan raises his voice. “I’ll come!”
“Good. And bring that lovely lady with you, the one you’re forcing to work overtime. Jake told me she was still in your office when he left.”
Ethan’s eyes shoot up to meet mine. I quickly shake my head, urgently, and he says slowly, “I’m sure she has other plans.”
“I’m sure she had other plans when you made her work overtime, son. Bring your lady friend, or I’ll come get the two of you.”
The line goes dead, and Ethan gazes at the phone.
I gape at him. “Your mother.”
“Evidently.”
“She’s—You look like you’re scared of her.”
Ethan sets everything down on the table and gets to his feet. “She’s a terrifying woman. Don’t ever let her convince you otherwise. Come on.”
“Wait, I’m actually going with you?” My eyes widen.
“When Helen Wilder summons you, saying no is not in your best interest. Besides, we were already having dinner together. Now with my family around, you’ll have multiple buffers between us.”
I could say ‘no’ with more conviction, but the idea of meeting Ethan’s family and seeing the kind of people he was raised amongst is too tempting. Also, I really want to meet the one woman who can intimidate him.
The evening aircarries the lingering heat of summer’s oppressive warmth as we drive through Manhattan’s glittering streets. Even at this hour, the city pulses with life—yellow cabs weaving through traffic while pedestrians navigate the sidewalks despite the humidity clinging to everything like a second skin.
When we finally pull up, I feel nervous.
The Wilder family home, a brownstone on Park Avenue, glows softly under the evening lights, its deep brick facade muted under the twilight. Golden light spills from tall, arched windows, hinting at life within. Ivy clings to the walls, swaying gently in the night breeze, while a sleek black door stands polished, inviting us inside.
“This was a bad idea,” I mutter. “What was I thinking?”
Ethan opens the car door for me. “You already bought the wine, and we’re here. The time for backing out is long over.”
I give him a hopeful look. “You can give them the wine. I can just take a cab back.”
He leans his forearm on the roof of the car, looking at me with mischief in his eyes. “I never took you for a coward, Natalie.”
My lips part. Then I press them together. “I’m not a coward.”
“Prove it.”
He holds out his left hand.
My jaw clenches. “I’m not falling for that. I’m not a child. Just because you called me a coward doesn’t mean you’ll get a rise out of me.”
